Enos a



(No Model.)

E. A. MORPHEW 8?; H. WITHROW.

GRAIN DRILL. No. 266,499. Patented 0013.24, 1882..

IINTTED STATES PATENT @rrrc ENOS A. MORPIIEIV AND HARRISON VITHROW, OFPETERSBURG, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO SAID WITHROW, AND JOHN A. BRAHM,JAMES M. ROBBINS, AND ALFRED IV. QTOKER, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

GRAIN-DRILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 266,439, dated October24, 1882. Application filed July 24,1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ENOS A. MORPHEW andHARRISON Wrrnnow, citizens of the United States, residing at Petersburg,in the county of Menard and State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Grain-Drills; and we do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make anduse the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in seed drills orplanters; and it consists in certain features hereinafterdescribed, andspecifically set forth in the claims.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a seed-planter providedwith our improvements, and Fig. 2 is a detail view.

Like letters refer to like parts in both figures.

A represents the seed-box, suitably located upon and attached to theframework, from which depend the usual seed-conductors, B, whichcommunicate with tubes O, to which are secured shoes 1). Each shoe isadjustably and yieldingly held in operative position by means goofaspring, E, secured to the toe thereof in any suitable manner, preferablyremovably, as shown, the spring being passed through a loop, (7, which,by means ofthe screws dd,is drawn tightly upon the shoe and acts tofirmly clamp the spring, thus avoiding the necessity of perforating itfor the passage therethrough of the screws. The upper-end of eachspringiscoiled once about a transverse shaft,F, suitablyjournaled in theframework, and is secured to the 0 under surface thereof by means of ascrew or bolt, 0. If desired, a suitable clamp may be employed at thispoint, and thus all perforation of the spring can be avoided. Near oneend of the shaft Fis secured alever, G, pro- 5 vided with a spring-pawl,9, adapted to take into a notched sector, g, so as to adjustably retainthe lever in desired positions at will. A similar lever, H, pawl h, andsector h are provided at the rear portion of the planter, said leverbeing secured to the axle I, orit may be to a beam through which theaxle passes,said beam being loosely titted upon the axle, so as to turnthereon. To the axle is secured a series ofsprings, J J J J", &c., eachlocated in rear of and in line with each shoe. These springs are securedto and coiled about the axle, as are the springs E about the shaft F,and each is curved down \vardl y and to the rear,

so that it may be pressed upon the ground.

In cross-section these springs may be concave, 6o convex, corrugated, orflat, as desired, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

This being the construction, the operation is as follows: By throwingthe free end of lever G to the front the shoe 1) is caused to bear uponthe soil and penetrate the same,and itreadily accommodates itself tounevenness in the surface of the soil, and as the seed is dropped in theusual manner the springs J J, &c., are, by means of the lever II,depressed with such force or tension as to not only cover the seeds butto compress the earth thereupon, and this in a yielding manner, so thattheir pressure is practically uniform, notwithstanding the unevenness ofthe soil, and the result is that a uniform depth of covering-soil and asurer retention of the seed in line is accomplished,and less liabilityto disturbance of the seed by the action of the elements or otherwise,and nni-' formity of germination and growth are secured.

If desired, suitable guide-rods may be provided, to pass loosely througheyes on the tube 0, and secured to the frame-work above them to retainthe shoe from longitudinal dis 8 placement.

Having thus dcscrihed'our invention and its operation, what we claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1: In a seed-planter, the shoes D, supported upon springs E, incombination with a shaft,

F, and leverG,adapted to be secured adjustably in desired positions atwill, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the shoes D and the spring-coverers J, eachadapted, substantially 5 as shown and described, to be yieldinglydepressed and adjustably held in said depressed condition, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

ENOS A. MORPHEW. HARRISON \VlTH-ROW.

Witnesses:

J. M. ROBBINS, J. A. BRAHM, Jr.

